Tourism News

Central Coast on world stage
Central Coast Tourism recently attended Australia’s largest travel trade event to promote the region to travel agents, tour operators and media from all over the world. Around 150 appointments were conducted during the seven day Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) event held in Melbourne during the week commencing 13 June.

Also in attendance at the show were the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park and the Australian Reptile Park, who conducted their own appointments to assist in developing the international markets for the region. The future diving opportunities associated with the sinking of the former warship, HMAS Adelaide, was certainly a shining star that interested the agents from Europe and the United States.

Soft adventure was a keen theme running through the interest of those delegates from the Western hemisphere countries, with particular interest in the new Treetop Adventure Park and Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures. Another key selling point was the self-drive route from Sydney to Brisbane including the Central Coast as the first port of call, and there were many requests for four and five star accommodation properties in the region.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm and anticipation for the quality of the diving that will be available from next year when the HMAS Adelaide will be sunk off the coast of Terrigal. We will be working with these operators over the next few months to ensure that the region is featured in their programs for 2010 and beyond,” said Sarah Kerrsmith, Sales and Marketing Manager of Central Coast Tourism.

Central Coast Tourism met with operators from China, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan to develop opportunities for the Central Coast in a number of areas. In China, the new self-drive tours are gaining popularity with most of these including a visit to the Central Coast on the journey from Sydney.

There is also growing interest in house boating on the Hawkesbury River with Hong Kong and Chinese agents. The Japanese and Singaporean markets are showing opportunities for growth in the education sector with international student and educational study tour programs.

The Central Coast is becoming firmly established as an overnight destination for the Singaporean market and Malaysia is using the region for group coach tours and corporate incentive visits.

“Attending ATE allows Central Coast Tourism to have the most up to date market intelligence in these international markets and to establish and nurture relationships with agents from around the globe,” said Mrs Kerrsmith.

The ATE campaign was supported by the NSW Government through Tourism NSW and its Regional Tourism Partnership Funding Program.

Express Advocate article threatens tourism split
An article in the June 17 issue of the Central Coast Express Advocate headlined “Feud threatens clan event” has the potential to threaten the relationship between Wyong Council and Central Coast Tourism with any rift having a knock-on effect on tourism marketing for the Central Coast. The article was concerning statements that Toukley’s annual Gathering of the Clans event was not supported by Central Coast Tourism.

Following the article, the Chairman of Central Coast Tourism, Barton Lawler wrote the following Letter to the Editor:

“In reference to your article published on 17 June 2009 headlined ‘Feud threatens clan event’, the Board of Directors of Central Coast Tourism want to make it clear that there is no feud between Central Coast Tourism and Wyong Shire Council. Wyong Shire Council is one of Central Coast Tourism’s major supporters and we are happy to work with them to promote the Central Coast to visitors from outside the region.

“Central Coast Tourism acknowledges and is appreciative of the financial assistance provided by both Councils and if anyone has any suggested improvements they would like to see us make, we are always keen to hear them. Central Coast Tourism is currently very busy finalising its new strategic plan which will be used to determine the organisation’s 2009/10 marketing plan and budgets. Central Coast Tourism agrees with Wyong Council that events are a very important part of the Central Coast economy and that events desperately need more funding and assistance.

"While Central Coast Tourism has done all it can to give the Gathering of the Clans event, along with many other events on the Central Coast, as much exposure and assistance as it can, unfortunately it has been very difficult for to do more for the local tourism industry as long as Wyong Council only contributes $175,000. From this money we have to pay for the Regional Tourism Organisation’s operating expenses, the cost of staffing and operating The Entrance Visitor Information Centre seven days a week as well as for the organisation’s main role which is to market the Central Coast region as a whole.

“As far as the Gathering of the Clans is concerned, this event is one of many that Central Coast Tourism supports and encourages through our highly successful marketing channels such as the Central Coast Visitor Guide and Central Coast Tourism website.
“Our enquiries with the organisers of the Gathering of The Clans event very recently confirmed that they have always been very happy with Central Coast Tourism.

“An example of the type of success Central Coast Tourism regularly achieves as the Regional Tourism Organisation for the Central Coast is that we were instrumental in assisting several events in Wyong Shire to receive Tourism NSW Flagship event funding to market their events, i.e. Central Coast Festival of the Arts ($16,000) and Central Coast Country Music Festival ($60,000 over three years).

“Tourism is one of the Central Coast’s great success stories. Each year, tourism stimulates the Central Coast economy to the tune of over $870 million dollars and employs over 6,000 people. The Wyong Shire area alone attracts approximately 2.718 million overnight visitors each year (source data: Tourism Research Australia).

“From Central Coast Tourism’s point of view, we would certainly like to develop and grow the tourism potential of the region further, but our capacity to achieve this is obviously restricted by our level of funding to do so. We believe that the figures quoted above represent a pretty good return on the $175,000 invested by Wyong Council each year.”

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